L.A. makes a scene in O.C.

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Reality star Heather Dubrow caused a ruckus last year when she dismissed Orange County's dining scene. “There are no good restaurants down here,” the new addition to “The Real Housewives of Orange County” told the Register.

Several people took her to task for making such an uneducated statement. Turn the clock back 10 years and I might have agreed with her. But the local culinary climate has evolved. Food snobs don't have to fight freeway traffic in their quest for haute cuisine.

Orange County's palate has grown up, and hipster Los Angeles brands are noticing. Many are crossing the Orange Curtain and planting their next ventures here. The latest to break the barrier is bakery sensation Sweet Lady Jane. The West Hollywood institution – known for elegant cakes, tarts and cheesecakes – is opening a shop in Corona del Mar next year.

Owner Jane Lockhart said some of her most loyal customers come from coastal Orange County.

“You're not second-class citizens anymore,” Lockhart said of the county's reputation.

“There was a trend for the last 15 years when O.C. was overlooked by L.A. restaurateurs (who) wanted to go to Vegas,” said Hiatt, president of Fessel International in Costa Mesa.

A closer look at the L.A. invasion:

Sweet Lady Jane

For years, Jane Lockhart never liked sweets. In her late 20s, she began developing her own dessert recipes – with an eye for taming the sugary treats. With no formal training, Lockhart developed a wholesale business. Restaurants and Hollywood elite soon snapped up her tarts, cheesecakes and cakes. One famous songwriter met her on Sunset Boulevard for a delivery.

She opened Sweet Lady Jane on Melrose 25 years ago.

“We set out to change people's palates,” Lockhart said.

Today, the bakery is consistently ranked among the best in Los Angeles. Customers drive from Santa Barbara and San Diego to get their hands on her carefully crafted creations, including her top seller, the Triple Berry Shortcake. Wedding cake orders from Orange County are particularly numerous, but delivery is pricey. The shop charges $350 to deliver wedding cakes unscathed and on time.

“It is very risky to send a wedding cake down the freeway,” company President Daniel Mafrice said.

That delivery fee goes away when Sweet Lady Jane opens late next year at 3732 E. Coast Highway, across from the Five Crowns. The 1,800-square-foot bakery will sell the same assortment of baked goods found at Sweet Lady Jane's West Hollywood and Santa Monica shops.

The shop will serve breakfast and lunch. Cakes by the slice, served on fine china, are also on the menu.

“We're trying to open a place that has a particular feel. Bring something to the community that is not there – something that's got a European feel,” Mafrice said.

Tender Greens

This popular “slow food” concept opened its first Orange County fast-casual spot this year at the Irvine Spectrum Center. A second restaurant is slated to open soon near UC Irvine. At $11 a plate, Tender Greens co-founder Erik Oberholtzer says, he's bringing affordable, farm-fresh meals to the masses. Tender Greens is for “people with Champagne tastes but living on a Budweiser budget,” he told the Register earlier this year.

In 2006, Sprinkles Cupcakes became one of the first über-popular Los Angeles food concepts to see dollar signs in Orange County. Banker-turned-baker Candace Nelson launched her boutique cupcake empire in Beverly Hills. With an “Oprah Winfrey Show” endorsement, she could have opened her second shop anywhere. But she chose Corona del Mar Plaza. The Newport Beach center is now home to Nelson's latest dessert concept: Sprinkles Ice Cream. The shop, which opened this year, serves cupcakes and cookies stuffed with premium Sprinkles-branded ice cream.

“Orange County's culinary scene has exploded over the past couple years, but I've always believed strongly in the epicurean tastes of the region,” said Charles Nelson, founder of Sprinkles Cupcakes.

Next up for Orange County? In 2014, Sprinkles plans to open a 24-hour, ATM-style cupcake dispenser. Address: 944 and 952 Avocado Avenue, Newport Beach.

Pitfire Artisan Pizza

Last year, Pitfire's free-spirited founder, Paul Hibler, called Costa Mesa the “perfect place” to plant his flag in Orange County. Pitfire's core restaurants are in Los Angeles, but Hibler loved the old-school vibe of 17th Street in Costa Mesa. The 5,000-square-foot, thin-crust pizza joint pays homage to the area's surf and skateboard culture. Glossy clear countertops mimic the waxy finish of a surfboard. Booth seats are furnished with the same upholstery found in a Volkswagen bus. The bohemian atmosphere extends to a dimly lit, back-of-the-house speakeasy dubbed Pie Society. Address: 353 E. 17th St., Costa Mesa.

Umami Burger

The first Umami opened in Los Angeles in early 2009, sparking a gourmet burger revival in Southern California. Though Orange County is home to dozens of premium burger joints, Umami has opened three locations here: Laguna Beach, Costa Mesa and Anaheim. A fourth Umami is coming to the Irvine Spectrum Center in 2014.

L.A. loves Fashion Island

Several Los Angeles area restaurants are setting up shop or coming soon to Fashion Island. Among them: Lemonade LA, a high-end cafeteria-style restaurant, which opened in August. In 2012, Lette macaron shop in Beverly Hills chose Fashion Island for its first boutique outside of L.A. as a direct response to requests from O.C. customers, founder Paulette Koumetz said.

Melrose Avenue restaurants Red O and Fig & Olive are slated to open soon. Celebrity chef Rick Bayless is behind the menu at Red O, slated to debut this month. Fig & Olive's South of France dishes are prepared with fragrant olive oils and vegetable stocks. It's expected to open in late December.

What's next?

The legendary Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles is expanding to Anaheim near Disneyland. Artisan sandwich maker Mendocino Farms is coming to Costa Mesa in early 2014. Sweet Arleen's, a three-time winner of Food Network's “Cupcake Wars,” is scouting O.C. locations. “Orange County is one of our top 25 market opportunities for our brand,” company founder Arleen Scavone said.

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